Report on Girls in ICT Day 2012 Celebrations
in Europe was produced in order to summarize, highlight and
applaud the celebrations of the second international Girls in ICT Day that took
place on 26 April 2012 throughout Europe. All material stated in this document
was reported to the Europe Coordination Unit by the organizers of the
celebration events, mostly coming from the states’ administrations, but also
from NGOs and the private sector.

International Girls in ICT Day 2012 succeeded in empowering over 30,000 girls
and young women on 26 April 2012. More than 1,200 national and local Girls in
ICT Day events were held in 23 European countries this year. Each event
introduced girls and young women to the growing opportunities offered by a
career in ICTs.

ITU organized a
special session during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum on
16 May 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland to showcase 15 Girls in ICT Day events from
Africa, the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, CIS and Europe. The showcasing
session culminated with the participants being awarded ITU certificates of
recognition for their hard work and commitment to empowering women through ICTs.
Photos are available
here.

International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative backed by ITU Member States in
Plenipotentiary Resolution 70 (Guadalajara, 2010) to create a global
environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider
careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

The international Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on each fourth Thursday in
April, when girls have the possibility to get themselves acquainted with the
opportunities for education and work in the ICT field. The international Girls
in ICT Day has the objective to make the Information and Communications
Technologies familiar to girls, and to present to them the jobs within this
sector, as well as to motivate them to opt for a career related to these
technologies.

As we approach 2015, the target date for realizing the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals, among which eliminating gender disparity features
prominently, the Girls in ICT Day project is a way to create connections that
inspire ideas and innovation to address a societal need. This year, the events
sparked by Girls in ICT Day have sowed the seeds of empowerment in thousands of
girls and young women around the continent.

Girls in ICT Portal, Special Initiatives, BDT

ITU has launched a new
web portal focused on helping girls and
women access training, job opportunities and career information in the
fast-growing information and communication (ICT) sector.

The portal is designed to help girls and young women aged 11-25 prepare for and
pursue a technology career, providing links to scholarships, training and
internships, ICT contests and awards, tech camps, online girls’ networks and
other programs that will give them a boost in entering what has become a largely
male-dominated sector.

More
specific information about the 2012 Girls in ICT Day events is posted on a
dedicated portal for this project at www.girlsinict.org, where pictures, videos,
programs
and other documents are freely available for everyone to use. The aim is to
spread the word and inspire more people to organize a Girls in ICT activity to
mark the day in 2013. Examples of successful events held worldwide can be found
at http://girlsinict.org/girls-in-ict-day-events.

For further information and coordination about organizing the Girls in ICT Day
are invited to contact ITU Girls in ICT Team at
girlsinict@itu.int